I'll Live
by Destiny Aitsuji
Summary: Lal and Collonello's romance. spoilers lal gets raped and collonello tries to stop her from killing herself. Would their love be strong enough to prevail? R&R pls. rated M for safety.
1. First Encounter

**I'll live**

**Chapter 1 – First Encounter**

"Recruit Collonello," called Lal. The new batch of weaklings she was assigned to train. It was just going to be the same old thing. Or so Lal thought.

"Recruit Collonello!" she called for the third time. "Where exactly was this recruit?" she thought. "When he comes back, I'll punish him…" she grumbled. "Madam," cried the captain. "What is it?" she snapped, annoyed that she was interrupted. "There is a fight ongoing in the cafeteria." he reported. Alarmed and curious, Lal cursed and marched off with the captain to the cafeteria.

"Take this you bastard!" cried the blonde haired recruit as he landed a heavy backhanded blow on a bloodied comrade he just met. The bloodied comrade flew backwards at the impact of the blow and crashed against the counter. Before he had time to recover, Collonello went up and grabbed him by the collar. Just as he was about to give the guy one final punch for lights out, a sharp and commanding voice stopped him. "You over there, cut it out." Collonello looked over his shoulder and saw a well built and attractive lady. She was tan, had blue hair and fiery eyes. This interesting combination made him want to get to know her more. She was the first girl that had ever captured his soul at first glance. She was everything he had dreamed of.

Smiling, he released the trembling rookie and strode up to her nonchalantly. "Hey sugar, what's up?" he greeted. "Report yourself." Said Lal firmly, not swayed by his unusual greeting. "Collonello at your service, honey." He said. "Collonello…" she thought, "Why is his name so familiar?" Then she recalled the name of the absent recruit earlier on. This made her frown.

"Why did you beat him up?" she interrogated. Collonello merely shrugged and replied "I did not like the way he talked." Lal was utterly shocked when she heard his reply. How could anyone possibly say that and not feel anything? She has never met anyone like him before. "Do you know the consequences of your actions?" she asked. Collonello shrugged again and told her "It's not important, sugar." The captain was about to retort when Lal stopped him. This time she asked him "Do you have any idea who you're talking to?" Collonello paused for a while then grinned and replied "A femme fatale." His response made Lal blushed. Never had she encountered with anyone like him. This was the first time. True though, she often brought more harm than good to anyone. This tome the captain shouted at Collonello "You are talking to the commander of this sector you fool! Apologize quickly!"

Collonello's eyes widened when he realized that he was actually talking to the commander herself. Initially he thought that this commander would just be another plain old boring tough guy. Never in his wildest dreams would he have considered a sylph for a commander. He quickly got over his initial shock and gave her a flash of his most dashing smile "Apologies commander," he said "What would be my punishment?"

Lal blushed harder. Her heart raced without any reason when he said that. Lal classified that as irrational and cast it aside. She said in a firm voice "For speaking to an authority disrespectfully I will not hold you against it for you did not know me. However, for beating up a comrade without any valid reason, you shall be flogged twenty times on the flogging post three days from now. For being late, you will do cafeteria duties for a week. If that is clear then join your group and make haste." Collonello casually saluted and smiled as if nothing she said actually mattered then said "Yes madam." Before jogging off to find his group.


	2. Chemistry

**Chapter 2 – Chemistry**

After being flogged, Colonnello spent a few days in the wards, treated by the head nurse. Once discharged, he was sent to do his cafeteria duties for a week. Lal was impressed with Colonnello who spent only a few hours washing a few hundred dishes without breaking a single one. All of the dishes did not have a single speck of dirt or grim when she did a spot check. It was spotless and Lal was seriously impressed. Colonnello might still have some talent that she can groom. He might not be the fool she thought he was before. Since Colonnello was idle most of the time, Lal made him run errands for her. He did not seem to mind and in fact, he was enjoying it.

The commander was beginning to like this new recruit more and more. HE had speed, enthusiasm, optimism, good build, good stamina, was responsible and perhaps intelligent. He had what it took for an elite soldier. He could even be a commander himself with sufficient training and experience. Lal was determined to groom him to his maximum potential and make him the strongest pupil she ever had. But first, she must find out more about him.

Retiring to bed, the commander thought about the concerns of her other job. Being a commander of US army squad fourteen and the person in charge of the elite force was just her part time job. Lal's real job was a mafia hit man in the underworld society assisting the Vongola family. She had come to the army to form an alliance with the weapons suppliers as well as some important figures. Of late, the Senate Sherbet was getting suspicious of her and she was watched closely. It was difficult to be on her guard constantly. She could bet on her life that some of the new recruits were actually sent by Sherbet to spy on her. It was hard to keep the underworld part of her life a secret but with Sherbet's spies, it made getting what she set out to do even more impossible. How on earth was she going to accomplish anything like this?

Casting all her problems aside, Lal emptied her mind and soon fell asleep.

In her slumber, Lal dreamt of her daily mundane routine of her morning drills. "Run ten laps then do five circuits before returning back to me. The last few to report back will have to do extra two hundred sit ups and push ups. Is that clear?" "Yes madam!" they answered in unison and ran of when she shouted go. The only one remaining behind was Colonnello himself. He stood there and continued to stare at her. "Why aren't you going?" she asked and Colonnello replied "Because I wish to continue looking at you." Lal blushed even in her dream.

"Recruit Colonnello, if you do not go now you would have to do extra push ups and sit ups." she stated. Colonnello just approached her calmly and stroked her face. She took notice of his blonde hair and charming blue eyes. "He actually looks good," she thought to herself as she watched the distance between them got shorter. He said "I don't mind as long as it's you. Punish me all you want, I'm yours to use." Just before they kissed, Lal snapped back to reality. What was that dream all about? It could not mean anything; after all it was a dream. Or was it? Lal did not want to know what it meant. She couldn't possibly like him, can she?

Anyway, Lal was not the kind to ponder over such trivial matters. She got up to wash her face. The cool water touched her skin woke her up. Going back to bed, she saw the green flashing digits on her clock. It was "3.29" a.m. in the morning. Lal clambered back to bed and tried to sleep. She tossed and turned trying to find a more comfortable position for her to drift back to sleep but to no avail. The strange dream had kept her wide awake. There was no way she could drift back to sleep anytime now. Sighing, Lal got up and got dressed. It was only four in the morning when she went outside.

Lal was not very much a morning person. The air was always chill and nothing ever seemed to happen. This time, however, Lal did not mind the cool mistiness of the early dawn. Pulling the coat closer, she headed for the obstacle course. It was her favorite place in the entire camp. On her way, she passed by some night patrol guards going back. They saluted to her and she nodded.

Lal pulled herself up the platform on the obstacle course and sat there enjoying the comfortable silence and the aloneness. After a few minutes, she heard footsteps and turned to see a familiar blonde haired, blue eyed man. "Colonnello!" she thought. Her heart raced at the sight of him. No matter how many times she told her heart to quiet down, it did not obey her. "Hey, what's up?" he asked. "What are you doing here?" she asked. Colonnello threw the same question back at her "What are you doing here?"

Lal was about to say something back when Colonnello laughed. "What's so funny?" she demanded. Colonnello stopped laughing and apologized "Sorry, but I found your reputation so contradicting to your person. They say that you were a fearsome commander but I somehow find you cute. Your expression just now was simply adorable. Sometimes I could not help but wonder why you would not act more ladylike. You have nice eyes and beautiful hair." Lal did not know how to respond to it and just muttered a word of thanks which only resulted in making Colonnello chuckle more and Lal blush more.

The two sat in silence after that, enjoying each others company. Lal was thinking about many things and Colonnello simply enjoying sitting beside Lal. Then, Lal yawned. She was getting tired. Her eyelids grew heavier and she could hardly keep them open. Colonnello saw that and suggested that she went back to rest. Lal was too tired and agreed. The moment she stood up, she lost her balance and almost as if he had been expecting it, Colonnello sprang up to catch her just in time before she could tumble to the ground. Lal blushed. His arms were wrapped around her waist and one hand on her chest. Colonnello however took no notice of it. He asked in a concerned voice, "Are you okay? I think it would be better for me to escort you to your quarters. Lal was not given a chance to protest because Colonnello was already pushing her along.

Once they reached Lal's quarters, Colonnello said "Here we are commander." Lal nodded. Before she went in Colonnello asked "We get along really well don't you think commander?" Lal agreed. Then she posed him a question that left him puzzled. "Do you wish to be part of the elite force?" Colonnello looked at her with a questioning expression. Lal laughed and just told him to think about it before shutting the door behind her leaving a very confused Colonnello.


	3. Surprises

**Chapter 3 – Surprises**

Lal woke up the next morning. Just a few hours ago she was with Colonnello. However, Lal could not help but wonder why she even offered him the opportunity to join the elite force. Even worse, she could not stop thinking of the incident where he grabbed her before she fell off the platform. She liked it and it scared her. "For goodness sake, you're a commander Lal!" she told herself, "when did you become so weak?" She sighed and got up to change, knowing very well what the answer was.

Colonnello could not get to sleep. He was thinking about Lal the entire time. He thought about her fiery eyes, blue silky hair and especially her adorable blush. Lingering at the thought of her blushing, he smiled. Sometimes things in life are just so unpredictable. "Lal, Lal," he thought "you are one woman I can never get enough of." then added a little while later "you drive me crazy." Reflecting on Lal's offer, Colonnello pondered over it for quite a while. He needed more information about the elite force. If he joined the elite force, it would mean that he was serving the government which he so much hated. He was a hit man after all, even though not a first class one, like Reborn or Shamal. A member of the mafia he was. He was very clear that he was a mafia on a mission, a mission to seek out a member of the mafia going by the name of hit man "Lynx". This crazy reborn had told him to seek out this person without telling him anything more and sent him with just a flimsy letter with a Vongola seal on it. It was only because of the Vongola seal that he agreed to such a crazy request. No Mafioso in the right frame of mind would want to even try infiltrating a government organization like the US military. The Vongola family was a respectable one and so doing this was a great honor, or it was supposed to be. Colonnello was not enjoying this mission at all, with the exception of meeting the attractive commander Lal. Infiltrating a military camp full of brainwashed country loyalists was not a very attractive option to Colonnello. He'll rather spend his time out wrecking havoc and creating trouble. On coming here, things did not seem as bad, mainly because of Lal. The offer to join the elite force seemed tempting but Colonnello still had to consider and weigh the odds. Would he be breaking his mafia loyalties by doing so? The alarm clock rang and interrupted his train of thoughts. Getting up, he got changed. He was in no hurry at all to give Lal an answer as he had things of far greater significance to attend to.

When Lal had taken a shower, she went to the cafeteria to have her breakfast. On the way, she met a mailman who passed her a letter. The letter carried the Vongola seal. Lal recognized it immediately and quietly tucked it in her pocket before shuffling off.

Colonnello came down to the cafeteria once he had changed. His stomach was complaining and he had no choice but to satisfy it. Food here was terrible. There were no soft drinks and absolutely no junk food. His only comfort was Lal. He found her seated alone and eating alone at the corner of the room. He took his tray of food and approached her with an air of confidence. Nobody dared to approach Lal for she was known for being fearsome. He sat down in front of her and started to eat. Lal did not take any notice. Even if she did she would not let it show. "So," Colonnello started, "how was your night? Did you sleep well?" Lal did not respond to his questions and Colonnello did not attempt to continue the conversation. Both of them ate in silence. Lal finished her meal quickly and went to put away her tray. Colonnello sighed. Lal was not an easy woman.

Lal gave instructions for all the new recruits. They were to do a total of two hundred sit –ups, two hundred push-ups, a five mile run and finally, a hundred chin-ups. Lal deliberately chose to make it more different from the ordinary morning drills due to the strange dream she had last night. The standard that she set, however, was too tough for those feeble recruits. Many did not make it through the exercise. A few exceptional ones survived this hell training though. Of the few, one of it was Colonnello. For those who did not make it, Lal shown no mercy and forced them to complete the full course.

The moment all the recruits were gathered, Lal asked "Is anyone injured or feeling unwell?" A few men put up their hands. Lal did not need to be told that the vomiting man needed medical attention. She handed them over to the medics where they were attended to. Then, she brought all the rest of the remaining of the recruits to the rope course.

"Alright, listen up you lot. The faster you all complete this, the faster you can be dismissed for lunch break. The rules are simple. You work in groups. If anyone falls, the whole team is to start all over again from the beginning. Is that clear?" The soldiers answered in unison with determination "Yes madam!" then shot of without another word. Lal smiled to herself. They completed the course in no time. Lal then dismissed the recruits for lunch. She herself then quickly sneaked away to read the letter that the mailman had passed to her earlier this morning.

Lal had not the faintest idea that she was being followed. She made her way to the training hall where the recruits were supposed to report at after lunch. She was careless and did not check for anyone following her before opening the letter. Just before she could read the contents of the letter, the spies sent by Senate Sherbet interrupted her. She tried to hide the letter but it was too late. They had seen it. One of them smirked and told her "Senate Sherbet's going to be very pleased with us for catching and underworld dog."

Meanwhile, Colonnello has been eavesdropping outside. "I don't know what you are talking about." Lal told them coolly. She was in trouble but she never lost her cool. Colonnello admired her for that. She was a commander after all and it wasn't easy to scare her. These guys did not frighten her one bit at all. "Don't play dumb with us, commander. We know who you are and what you're after." "And what might that be?" challenged Colonnello. Lal's eyes widened a little. "Colonnello!" she thought and almost instantly, her heartbeat raced. "Who are you!" the spies demanded. Clearly they were not pleased to see him. He just gave them a wolfish grin. "Colonnello at your service." He said and gave them a wolfish grin. The spies continued staring at him and Colonnello just smiled at them. "What business do you have here?" they asked. Colonnello threw back that same question at them. This infuriated them. They were not in a mood for any kind of games. Colonnello kept on smiling his stupid smile throughout. "Don't play games with us." They snarled. Colonnello put up his hands as a sign of defeat. He sighed and told them "You got me. The actual reason why I am here is because I have sent a letter to commander Lal asking her to go out on a date with me and you guys just ruined the entire atmosphere." The two spies looked with shock and disbelief as to what they just heard. Lal blushed even more. The two spies sheepishly excused themselves and moved away. Colonnello stopped them halfway and told them not to tell anyone about this. The two spies agreed and left silently, embarrassed at their mistake.

Once the spies left and Colonnello made sure that no one was around, he let out a sigh of relief. Lal asked him "Who are you?" Colonnello did not answer that. He asked "Are you hit man Lynx?" Lal nodded. He swiftly took out the letter that Reborn had handed him. "Reborn told me to hand you this." He said and handed the letter to her. Lal accepted it and quickly opened it and read it. She then took out the Vongola letter that she intended to read earlier and red it. When she finished reading, Lal frowned.

"Lal," Colonnello asked with concern. Lal just thanked him and left in a hurry. Something was wrong and Colonnello knew it. He did not pursue the matter any further though and went for lunch.


	4. Revelation

**Revelation**

Lal continued the combat training after lunch. Colonnello waited patiently until Lal had dismissed the recruits for the day. Only Lal and he were left behind. As soon as the room cleared out, Colonnello seized the opportunity to ask Lal about the letters that he saw earlier on. Lal hesitated for a moment deciding if she should let Colonnello in the secret affairs of the Vongola. Colonnello looked at her with such intensity of concern that she gave in to his request and handed both the letters over.

Colonnello first read the letter that he had handed her earlier on and he frowned. "Why can't they pick someone else?" Lal sighed and shrugged. "Probably they could find no one else more suited for this role." Colonnello wasn't too pleased to hear that. He asked "Then why not train some one for this role? It's far too much a risk to put all the strongest Mafioso in this ridiculous experiment which nothing can be guaranteed of their safety." Lal smiled and replied "Then who do you suggest?" Colonnello blushed and said nothing. He then read the second letter and his reaction to it was to stare at Lal. Lal felt uncomfortable and asked him "What's the matter?" Colonnello scowled and hurled a few curses before elaborating about the severity of the situation. It seemed that Lal has been chosen by the Vongola to assassinate the General Visor together with the Senate Sherbet. It was dangerous as there had been several attempts before to assassinate these two people but all attempts were a failure and they had been wiped out.

Lal got fed up after listening to all of Colonnello's pointless arguments about the risks of getting involved with Vongola's mission. She shot at him angrily "What do you want me to do? I haven't got a choice! This is the mafia rules we are talking about. Only I am capable of such feat that's precisely why they sent me on this mission! Unless you can find another person more suited to take over my place, you had better keep your pointless arguments to yourself." Colonnello then declared himself as someone worthy to take over her place. Lal only laughed at him and said "I admire your courage but you are just not up to that standard." Colonnello then appealed to her upon her offer for her to get him accepted into the elite force. She told him calmly she was in charge of grooming the elite force and Colonnello's eyes widened. No wonder the Vongola had chosen her to be in these dangerous missions. "I guess I underestimated you, commander but I do hope that I will be able to take over your place." Lal asked him "Why are you so adamant on doing this?" Colonnello told her sincerely "Because I love you Lal and I have no wish to see you go to your death." Lal blushed. "Being in the elite force is not a joke." Colonnello answered in confidence and resolve "I'll do anything to become stronger." Satisfied with the answer, Lal accepted Colonnello in the elite force and told him that training the next morning would start at eight in the combat hall.

Colonnello was elated. "Yes, madam." He said and then they parted and headed back to their quarters to take a shower. After a shower, they both came down for dinner. This time round, Lal came to join Colonnello at the far end of the table. She was less cold towards him and even cracked jokes. Colonnello teased Lal which made Lal mad. She blushed and shouted at him at the same time making Colonnello even more amused and Lal even more frustrated. The others knew better than to disturb and interfere with this odd couple. For the first time in her life, Lal experienced a warm and fuzzy feeling in her heart that she was unable to explain. This strange, irrational and most irritating phenomenon occurred only when it concerned Colonnello.

After dinner, Lal and Colonnello took a walk. Colonnello thought it would be some kind of a slow and romantic stroll but Lal had a different thing in mind. Colonnello was surprised at the drastic change of events.

Lal attacked Colonnello without any warning. He tried to evade and counter attack but was knocked down by Lal's swifter tackle. Lying on the ground and dazed, he heard Lal say "Rule one, never let your guard down no matter where you are." Then she held out a hand to help him stand again before attacking him again.

Colonnello did well and fended off her attacks this time. Lal decided to change her tactics and soon, Colonnello was on his back again. "Rule two," said Lal, "never ever leave yourself open and vulnerable to surprise attacks."

They continued to spar. Lal then tricked Colonnello by distracting him with a fake punch then hitting him in the stomach with her knee. Colonnello crumpled to the ground. "Rule three; always anticipate your opponent's attack."

"Wow, she's really strong." Colonnello thought. He forced himself to get up and expected Lal to attack again but Lal only came up to him and asked in a concerned voice "Are you okay?" Colonnello attempted to move and grimaced as his muscles ached but managed a feeble yes. Lal laughed and told him "Rule four, never underestimate your opponents." Colonnello nodded in agreement and said "I got that one," which resulted in Lal laughing even more. She then supported Colonnello to the hospital and handed him to the care of the head nurse. The head nurse eyed her curiously and asked "Personal coaching I presume." Lal nodded. The head nurse turned to Colonnello and told him "You're lucky then." Colonnello had questions for the head nurse about what she meant but held it because the head nurse was talking to Lal and he saw Lal blushing while protesting vehemently. The more Lal protested, the more the head nurse laughed. When Lal left, the head nurse came to attend to Colonnello's injuries.

While treating Colonnello's injuries, the head nurse told Colonnello "Commander Lal may seem a little too harsh and unapproachable on the outside but deep down inside of her, she's really easy to understand. More often than not, she tries to be strong on the outside but she's still vulnerable on the inside. After all she is a girl. It seems to me that she has taken a liking towards you but is just too stubborn to admit it. Give her some time and I'm sure she'll eventually warm up to you. You must understand that given her headstrong character, she'll shun away from you if you approach her too hastily." Colonnello smiled and nodded gratefully to the head nurse. "I understand." He said. The head nurse smiled and sighed "It's good to know that my god daughter has finally grown up."

"God daughter?" exclaimed Colonnello.


	5. Lal's past

**Lal's Past**

"God daughter?" asked Colonnello who was in a state of shock. This was totally unexpected. Even the great Reborn would have been surprised if he heard this. The head nurse nodded and smiled. She spoke in such a soft voice that Colonnello had difficulty in listening to what she revealed.

"Lal's parents died six years ago. Lal was just twelve at that time. She saw them killed before her very eyes and they were cold bloodedly murdered by some poison cult mafia members. They had wanted to kill her as well but that did not happen. I'm sure you have heard of the notorious arsenic band. If it wasn't for the Vongola to step in I doubt our little Lal would have survived till this date."

"We?" questioned Colonnello. The head nurse said a little "oops" and then sighed in defeat. "My husband and I." she said. Colonnello made a guess "Reborn?" the head nurse shook her head and laughed "No, but Reborn had been the one who saved Lal and handed her to us on behalf of the Vongola. My husband and I had wanted a child very much but I was barren. Reborn had been a good friend of my husband's and it was only a few yeas back that we lost contact. The Vongola must have kept him busy now that he is one of the strongest seven."

"Is your husband by any chance the General Visor?" asked Colonnello and the head nurse nodded. It was a small world after all. "So why did Lal join the US army when she was a mafia?" The head nurse explained that she wanted to "grow stronger" so she could avenge her parents' death. Then she told him "Lal has already informed me that you work for the mafia and wish to honor that code. However your actions are contradictory as the elite force serves the nation and you as a member of the mafia is supposed to go against the country. Why on earth did you join the elite?"

Colonnello replied indigently "I know very well what I am doing. The only reason why I chose to join the elite was so that I could become stronger and return to seek my revenge on those who have massacred my entire village and set fire to my home. My loyalties remain the same." "Very well." Said the head nurse as Colonnello got up and thanked the head nurse before heading back to his dormitory.

"Whoa, what happened to you man?" his roommates asked the moment they saw him enter. Colonnello had a bandage on his head and some plasters on his face. One of them whispered "He must have offended commander Lal." The green haired roommate whistled and teased "somebody's flirting' with the commander." The brown haired roommate asked "Did you touch her?" and the only answer he received was a triple ice-cream scooped bruise on his head. Colonnello then ignored his roommates and went to bed.

One thing was certain now. Lal definitely felt something for him but the problem now was how he could help her. The arcobaleno incident was really putting him off. Why can't they choose someone else? "Three months." Colonnello told himself. Three months was all he needed if he wanted to take the place of Lal. He rather the curse is upon him than her. "For you Lal I would do anything." He whispered before drifting into a dreamless sleep.


	6. Training

**Training**

Colonnello reported to the training hall next morning and began his elite training. Morning drills were very different from that compared to the ordinary recruit training. This morning drill was more strenuous and arduous. It challenged the soldiers both physically and mentally. One hundred sit ups and pull ups followed by two hundred push ups. As if this wasn't enough, they had to do squats, run up and down a flight of stairs from the ground floor to the top of the watch tower ten times. It would have been merciful if they stopped here for the last that was left for them was to carry a load of eighty kilograms on their backs and run through the forest training grounds. Everyone was tired but Colonnello was exhausted. He even fell asleep standing and was punished for being the last to complete the drills even though it was unfair as if was his first training. He had to do night patrol duty for two weeks.

After the drills the soldiers were all dismissed for lunch. Colonnello's roommates saw him and immediately bombarded him with questions giving the poor new elite soldier no time to answer. Lal watched silently from the far corner of the cafeteria and smiled to herself inwardly. She observed him for some time and Colonnello proved to be a humble man and preferred to keep a low profile. Lal found herself more attracted to him. She liked him and thought him worthy to become her student. With that, she left without anyone's knowledge.

"How's the new guy's progress?"

"He's good. A lot of raw talent and I see potential in him to be our top military man." The captain replied Lal.

"What's his timing like?" she asked.

The captain replied "Three hours, forty-nine minutes and fifteen seconds. He fell in right last but just right after our weakest elite member by a split second."

Lal smiled and nodded in agreement with the captain's previous statement. "He does have a lot of potential." Then she thanked the captain and walked away. With some extra training and proper guidance from her he would be able to excel and surpass her. For all she knew, he could be one of the best hit man or soldier ever recorded in history like Shamal and Reborn. In a few years time he could even surpass her. This thought made Lal's blood rush and adrenaline pumped her up. Her heartbeat raced at the thought of all these possibilities and the urge to do something nagged at her.

After lunch…

"Why is the commander here?" asked the man in front of Colonnello.

"The commander?" asked Colonnello. His mind instantly thought of Lal. The door flew open and in came Lal escorted by the captain. All the mummers and whispers ceased at once and order returned.

"Why's the bitch here?" asked an elite soldier who obviously hated Lal. Lal answered his rude question in a dignified manner. "I am here to access all your combat skill. I assume that that gentleman over there is well apt in this field so may I invite him to step up for the first round of assessment."

That hateful soldier stood up to Lal's challenge and was totally defeated in less than a minute. "Next." Called Lal and all the soldiers stepped up reluctantly and put up a pitiful struggle against Lal.

Soon, there was only one soldier left standing and he was no other than our beloved Colonnello. Many of the elite soldiers lost hope when they saw that the only one left standing was a new recruit. How was he going to defeat the commander when all of them old timers had failed? Forty five minutes had been what the commander required to defeat the whole lot of elite soldiers. How long would this new recruit stand against the great commander? If they had guessed less than a minute, they might probably be right.

"I won't go easy on you just because you are new." Lal told Colonnello. Colonnello showed his silly grin and told Lal "I wouldn't expect you to, commander." Lal was positive that Colonnello had something up his sleeves but pushed that thought aside.

Lal launched the first attack. As if he had been anticipating it, Colonnello dodged swiftly and went behind her back. It was so fast that nobody saw how Colonnello, in one fluid motion, pinned Lal to the ground. Colonnello had saw through Lal's attacks and knew where she left herself open.

Waves of mummers swept across the mass of elite soldiers who were once defeated. No one could say for sure what Lal was thinking or how she felt as Lal kept a poker face. Secretly, Lal was pleased with Colonnello.

She spoke in a nonchalant manner, urging the soldiers of the elite force to buck up and told Colonnello to continue working hard. "You still have much to learn." was what she told him after congratulating him. Then, as unexpectedly as she came, she left.

That afternoon, the elite were doing combat training and it seemed that Colonnello was picking up the rules of the game fast. In this combat "training" Colonnello discovered that there was no such thing as a friend and everyone here turned enemies. Whoever your opponent is that person is your enemy and they only exterminate their enemies. That meant to fight to death. Also, he realized that these soldiers obey orders like robots. They were like a tool to kill. "Jesus! These guys have not even the slightest sense of humor nor emotions. They are exactly like a living dead."

For this, Colonnello was right. The elite force was just another fanciful name for government assassins. Most of the members of the elite force serve senate Sherbet. Lal did not know of this yet but Colonnello on the other hand was getting very close to finding the truth.


	7. The Truth

**The Truth**

A few months later…

"I believe we have an agreement here, General Visor." smiled senate Sherbet as he held out his hand. General Visor returned a smile and took hold of the senate's hand. With great interest, he replied "Of course, senate Sherbet. You can count in me to get things done."

Meanwhile…

"You are open, Colonnello!" Lal shouted as she gave a high kick that sent the blonde haired soldier sprawling to the ground.

Colonnello quickly picked himself up and prepared himself for another round of Lal's never ending attacks, only this time he stuck first. Lal was ready for him and the two of them lashed at each other at the full potential. The impressive duo picked up speed along the way and it got so fast that it was impossible for ordinary eyes to see what they were doing. Their hands and legs were blurred by the immense speed. By now, both the student and the teacher were on par. Colonnello was able to attack and counterattack as well as defend and predict Lal's movements.

Engaged in a ferocious battle, it seemed like neither party would win. Just then, Colonnello shunned away from Lal's myriad of attacks and made use of the surrounding obstacles to his advantage. He jumped over the railing and swiftly crossed over to Lal's side. He then pinned her arm to the wall, restricting her movements. Lal struggled to break free but Colonnello was physically stronger than her and so she had no choice but to admit defeat.

Both of them were sweating and panting. Lal had been giving Colonnello personal training for a few months along now. Lal was able to se the drastic improvement in Colonnello's combat techniques. Now that the student had surpassed the master, it was time for him to graduate. She knew it was time to let him go but somewhere deep inside she was reluctant to let him go.

When Colonnello released his grip of Lal, Lal slowly turned to face him and told him as firm as she could, "I've seen a bout of great improvement in you Colonnello. You never disappoint me. You possess a natural talent in snipping and stealth, however, you have a rash nature and often your judgment is clouded. You need to stop using brute strength all the tome to solve your problems."

Colonnello stopped her halfway and asked her "Why are you telling me all this for, Lal." Lal looked him in the eye and told him sadly "It's time for you to graduate." Flustered, Colonnello opened his mouth but no words came out.

Once he calmed down a little, he blurted out "Graduate? I'm not even ready! I still have so much to learn and I can't just go out there in the world…" Lal put her finger in his lips. "Hush. You can and you will. I've seen you do it not once, not twice but many times you have proven yourself capable. It is time for you to graduate."

So saying, she removed her army headband with the badge number one on it and handed it to Colonnello. To make him feel better, Colonnello exclaimed with false enthusiasm "Hey, it matches with my uniform." Then he put it on his head and gave Lal a flash of his smile.

Lal did her best to smile back as well. Graduation had always been a happy thing for both Lal and her student. Lal had graduated many students before but this is the first time she is graduating a student who holds her heart. It was silly to feel sad and Lal knew that she could still see him the next day. However, instincts told her that tonight would be the last time that she would be able to see that infectious smile again.

To make the mood lighter, Lal told Colonnello to go back take a bath and have an early night's rest to prepare for the morrow. Colonnello obeyed and left, leaving Lal alone in the lonely night behind him.

By the time Lal had showered, it was already past midnight. There were many things that Lal had wanted to tell Colonnello but she was unable to find the right words to express herself and deemed them as inappropriate. Pushing these thoughts out of her mind, Lal got to bed and fell into a dreamless sleep.

Outside, senate Sherbet together with the head nurse, General visor and a few elite soldiers talked in low voices. They were discussing on a secret operation that was extremely unpleasant. Colonnello who had just taken a shower was making his way back to the dormitory when he overheard their evil plot for the night. His eyes widened upon hearing their plan. Colonnello did not stop to find out more. Instead, he hurried back to his dormitory and packed his things as quickly as possible.

Just before heading back into the night, Colonnello wrote a message to Reborn asking for transport in the nearest town from the camp to pick him up. He tied the message to the leg of his beloved pet seagull and sent it away.

Taking along his combat knife, pistol and arming himself with a sniper and Lal's graduation headband, he was ready for battle.

First stop for the night, Senate Sherbet and Lal's betraying godparents.


	8. Revengeful Night

**Revengeful Night**

A few weeks ago…

"I believe that the senate Sherbet is far more capable in handling this kind of minor problems and thus I find no need for me to see to all the minor details of training the elite force. After all, aren't the elite force just another manipulative tool for all of your selfish political gains? You are a general and you should know better of all people how things here are done. I am a military commander and not a babysitter. If the training is too tough for these guys then ask them to go home. I have no use for these wimps." Lal told General Visor straight in the face in front of everyone.

This made the general extremely unhappy but he kept quiet and put up width Lal for the time being. The head nurse was not pleased either, senate Sherbet was her brother after all and to insult both her husband and brother was not asked for as a repayment for bringing Lal up. Lal was no god daughter of hers since she disobeyed them. She was going to make her pay.

This night, Lal was exhausted for she had been training Colonnello for months. Tonight she had just graduated him and she was unable to convey her true feelings for him which left her feeling frustrated. The power of sleep was overwhelming and soon she fell asleep.

Outside, there were four elite soldiers waiting for the right time to enter. As they entered stealthily, Lal slept on unaware of the impending danger.

Once the last man was in, the door shut and quickly, they bolted the door and windows. Lal woke with a start as her intuition told her that something bad was about to happen.

Her intuition woke her up a little too late as the four men were fast to bind her to the bed and gag her with some cloth.

Lal struggled but to no avail as the handcuffs held her tight. She could not break free. Lal screamed but the cloth made it muffled. The silver moon light shone on Lal and enhanced her beauty and vulnerability. Ruthless as they were, the men showed no mercy.

Four pairs of hands worked swiftly and tore up all of Lal's clothes, leaving her naked in the full moon light. The bare cruelty of these men brought out their beastly nature in this silver light. Rendered helpless and defenseless, the commander could only cry.

The fierce Lal on the outside was no where to be seen as deep down, Lal was a gentle person. Put in this situation, Lal's defenses were broken and she could not fight. Though she acted like a rough man, Lal was without doubt one of the most feminine woman anywhere on earth.

One man grabbed her bosoms while another molested her thighs. Lal kicked and struggled to break free from the handcuffs but they were too strong for her. She put up a desperate struggle but remained a victim in the clutches of the four men. The handcuffs tore her skin and blood flowed as the tears did.

One man kept a lookout while the other three undid her chastity. Again and again they infiltrated Lal as her legs parted and they took turns to slam into her womb. Lal screamed and cried. Her pitiful struggles slowly came to cease as she resigned to her fate.

There was nobody to rescue her and she was tarnished for life. With the last glimmer of hope she called out with her mind "Colonnello!" before everything faded to darkness.

"Give it up Lal," she told herself "just give it all up." Then she resigned to her fate to be damned for eternity. Lal surrendered and relinquished all hopes. Struggling was futile and she let the three men take over her body.

Feeling numb inside, Lal closed her eyes and slipped away to unconsciousness. With no more tears to spare and no more strength to keep up, Lal closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Meanwhile, Colonnello killed the senate and Lal's betraying god parents. Urgency gripped at his heart and so did fear. "Lal, hold on," he said as he raced to the commander's quarters.

Upon reaching the quarters, Colonnello found the door locked and the windows shut. He could hear the creaking of the bed loud and clear.

"No," he whispered. "No!" and then Colonnello broke down the door.

With his silenced sniper, Colonnello killed the four men inside cold bloodedly. Walking over to Lal he saw the commander nude in her sleep, cuffed to the bedpost, bleeding with tear steaks on her face in the full moon light.

His heart ached. He knew he came too late. Both guilt and grieve filled his heart and he thought of revenge as he saw the blood of a virgin tainting the pure whiteness of the sheets.

Methodically, Colonnello removed the handcuffs and gag, dressed Lal up then carried her in the bridal style to the senate's car.

Removing the dead bodies of the senate's bodyguards, he then put Lal in the front seat and dumped the rest of his things at the back of the car. As much as Colonnello wanted to leave this place, he could not for there was still one thing he had to do.

Running to the explosives store, Colonnello killed all who were in his way. He then took the explosives and planted it through out the entire camp. Once that was done, Colonnello got back to the car and drove off.

Once he was a safe distance away from the camp, he pressed the detonator which set off all the bombs. There would be no survivors to live this night.

Tonight was the night Colonnello had enough and this was his revenge.

The night of his revenge.


	9. Too Late

**Too Late**

Reborn had received Colonnello's letter and knew that instant that something terrible had gone wrong. Colonnello was never the kind to ask for help. The fact that he asked for help shows the dire situation. The situation on the other side had gone wrong and was out of control.

At once, Reborn had Vongola's fastest ally dispatched. However, the closest ally there was Viper which meant involving a ridiculously huge sum of money. Reborn decided otherwise.

The best course of action to take right now was to board a plane from New York to Washington immediately and see to matters personally. This was what Reborn did.

He arranged for a chaffer to fetch Colonnello from the small town Digsby and prepared other things like accommodation. Besides, he needed to find out more.

Colonnello drove through the night at top speed without even stopping once. It was about eight in the morning when he finally arrived at the small town Digsby. Lal had yet to awaken from her ordeal last night. Abandoning the car, Colonnello took his belongings and carried Lal who still slept silently on his back.

Searching for a sign to see Reborn's arranged chaffer, he scanned the mass and found a shiny black car parked in the middle of the small town square. It was not the man in black or the car he drove that caught Colonnello's attention. The man himself was of no significant importance. It was the white bird perched on his right shoulder that caught Colonnello's attention. To be more precise, it was Colonnello's pet seagull and he recognized her instantly.

He made his way to that man and ignored the strange stares he got from the folks of Digsby town on the way.

"Reborn sent you." He said. The man nodded and confirmed "Yes. You must be Colonnello. May I inquire as to who is that lady with you?"

Colonnello told him "This is Commander Lal Mirch." The man frowned and Colonnello added in a low voice, "Hit man Lynx." Understanding instantly flickered across his face although there was a hint of surprise and he let them aboard.

Once in the car, the chaffer slowly drove away so as not to attract anymore unnecessary attention. The moment they hit the highway, Colonnello begin to feel the power of sleep lulling him. No sooner than five minutes, he was fast asleep.

They arrived at the hotel in the evening. Both Colonnello and Lal had awakened but they both remained silent throughout the entire journey. The chaffer was in an awkward situation with the unusual silence of two strange yet extraordinary people at the back of his car.

Both of them saw Reborn waiting for them at the lobby of the grand hotel. Their casual dressing made it seem strange but neither of them cared. They were too depressed to talk about anything much. Out of courtesy, both of them mumbled their unanimous greetings.

It was then that Reborn understood the problem lies not with the dealings. He noticed immediately that Lal was not her usual self.

In the past, she would have look at people with those fiery eyes. Now, looking into those eyes was the same as staring into hollow sockets. Her eyes held not a single sign of life and it was frightening to see how much she has changed.

Colonnello on the other hand showed nothing but guilt and grief. Reborn then decided it was best to hold on to his questions even though he was dying to get an answer.

"I've reserved rooms upstairs and dinner would be ready once you both have settled down. I shall see the both of you when you are ready." So saying, reborn sent them off.

After a silent dinner with Reborn, Colonnello came to knock on Lal's room. "Lal," he asked gently "may I come in?"

There was no reply initially and Colonnello was about to turn away when Lal opened the door. Colonnello was a little surprise. He entered Lal's room cautiously, not wanting to further hurt Lal. He knew he had done more than enough and should be thankful she did not hate him. Lal showed not one sign of resistance. This was worrying Colonnello greatly.

Her actions made Colonnello's heart ache and it was harder to say what he had come to tell her. Still, nevertheless, he mustered all he could afford and told her "Lal, I'm sorry."

Lal wanted to hear no more. Her eyes brimmed with tears and she forced a sad smile. "It's not your fault."

"Please Lal, forgive me. I know I should have come earlier and I know I could have but I didn't. I'm sorry Lal, please forgive me. Give me… give me another chance please. Please Lal, I love you."

"I'm sorry too Colonnello." She told him softly. He backed towards the door. "It's too late now. What's done can never be undone. You've done your best already. I love you as well." With that she started to close the door and bid him goodnight.

Colonnello's heart shattered completely. He suddenly went limp. His heart previously filled with sorrow was now numb. Turning around, he saw an unlikely face and froze for a long time as their eyes met.


	10. You'll live

**You'll live**

The two men went to the lobby downstairs and entered a private room where they could talk at peace. "So, what happened?" Reborn asked. Reborn got Colonnello talking. Initially, Colonnello was very hesitant to tell reborn the exact details on what happened but then after a while he began to empty out all his heart's contents and even stopped at some point in time to choke back tears as he told Reborn the heart breaking happenings.

Reborn listened to his story without showing any signs of emotions. To hear this coming from Colonnello was actually quite unbelievable for he knew how strong Lal was. Nevertheless, there was without doubt that the story was filled with absolutely nothing but truth.

When Colonnello had finally concluded his tale, Reborn remained quiet for some time trying to put the pieces together. He had one more question he felt it was necessary to ask despite having the answer displayed so clearly before his eyes. "How do you feel about Lal?"

Colonnello looked at him with sincere eyes and said "I love her a lot."

Satisfied with his answer, Reborn asked him "Would you do anything for her?" And Colonnello answered yes. Reborn then told him about the arcobaleno trials that Lal was selected for.

"Lal had told me about it." Colonnello replied. Reborn nodded. "She's determined to go for it." Colonnello told Reborn. To this, Reborn smiled a little and told Colonnello that Lal would not make a successful arcobaleno. Not with her current situation. "Someone else must take her position." Reborn told him and Colonnello thought about it silently.

As he thought about it, Reborn told him he had to take her place as the rain arcobaleno. Colonnello had questions to ask Reborn but then they were interrupted by a bodyguard of Reborn's.

"Reborn-san!" he shouted. "Hit man Lynx is missing and we found a message left for Colonnello."

Jumping out of the chair, Colonnello grabbed the note and quickly read through it. Without another word and racing against time, Colonnello threw down the note and raced after Lal.

Reborn picked the note up and read through it three times, not daring to believe his eyes. Dropping his hands in defeat he sighed. Why does one problem always lead to another?

Quickly he made his way to his room and picked up his cell phone. There were some important calls he needed to make and this required quite a huge sum of money.

Lal was preparing herself to walk off the edge. Rocks crumbled and fell away beneath her bare feet. "So this is it." She told herself. "This is how death feels like." Lal had thought of death as painful after witnessing it for herself. Her death was different from what she imagined. It felt peaceful. "After all this, I will be able to see mother and father. It's only for a while more." She said and smiled to herself.

Colonnello was racing with time. Hoping that he wasn't too late again he pressed on despite his burning lungs and aching muscles. Living on pure determination, Colonnello ran faster and faster only to find Lal already at the edge of the cliff with dark swirling waters below, lulling to take her under.

"Lal!" he shouted with all his might. She did not respond immediately and he shouted for her again, only this time with more determination and will power.

This time, she heard him and knew at once that this was for real. She wasn't dreaming. Colonnello was coming for her.

Turning around slowly and deliberately, Lal saw this handsome face for the last time. He begged "Please don't do this Lal." She smiled at him. "No, Lal you can't do this. Please forgive me, give me another chance. We could start anew if you like. This isn't the end. Not yet, Lal. Please, move away from the edge. Come back to me."

Lal did not seem to hear Colonnello for she only moved towards the edge, smiling and she said "Goodbye Colonnello."

"No, NO! Lal, please don't do this! What am I going to do without you?" he cried. Lal paused for a moment and replied him calmly "You'll live."

So saying, she plunged into the freezing waters below.

"NO!" Colonnello shouted and dived in after her.


	11. The Power of Love

**The Power of Love**

Both of them tumbled into the dark swirling waters helplessly, one dying to save the other while the other, willing to die.

Lal let the water cover her and sank beneath the waves. Submerged in all these mass of water, she let herself be taken under the peaceful depth beneath the endless ocean while white foams sprayed on the surface as waves crashed against the rocks. Cut of from oxygen, she felt her vision dim and fade away. Just before the last of her consciousness slip away, she saw Colonnello swimming towards her, the last thing that she saw and would ever see again before falling towards death at an alarming rate.

Straight away after Lal plunged into the water, Colonnello started his frantic search for her. The impact of his fall from the towering cliff stirred unrest in the waters as he thrashed about, in futile search for Lal when he could not see anything. Breaking out to the surface, he gasped for a lung full of air supply before diving down for another unsuccessful try. As he tried to go deeper each time but had to come up to the surface for air, Lal sank deeper yet.

In the critical moment when someone decided to interfere, Colonnello defied the odds stacked against him and by a miracle managed to reach Lal. Never once did Reborn believe in God but this time he believed in something equivalent or more powerful than God himself. It was the prowess of love and Reborn's mind flickered back to Luce. She had once told him about it. Still, skeptical by nature, Reborn did not believe in it entirely.

"Have you done what I told you to do?" he asked Viper. Viper replied monotonously "No, they are alive and well. The money I'm keeping."

Two gunshots were fired in the air and the mysterious illusionist disappeared into thin air. An empty laughter could be heard from somewhere distant echoed and mocked "Better luck next time," Before fading away entirely leaving Reborn alone at the edge of the cliff. Now all that was left to do was for Reborn to let love display its prowess.

While Reborn walked away, Colonnello struggled with Lal to a nearby cave. Now that Lal was out of water, does not mean that she was out of danger for one thing is certain. Lal was getting cold and she has ceased to breathe.

Desperate, Colonnello laid her on the ground. He had learnt how to do rescue breathing before but never actually applied it in real life scenario. Now that he was put in this kind of situation, Colonnello decided to give all he has to safe Lal. He then gave her the kiss of life which she awoke to.

Lal's ordeal with death was not over. Not yet. No doubt he had got her breathing, but Lal was freezing and her body temperature was decreasing too rapidly. If she did not die from drowning she might still die from hypothermia. The fight with death was far from over.

With only the two of them in a damp cave there was no way he could build a fire on time. Then, an idea struck him although he hated it as much as he knew Lal would never forgive him of it. Somehow, he still rather she hated him and was alive than die.

Without any more hesitation, he striped Lal and himself bare and brought both their bodies close together. Lal struggled with weak protests but Colonnello allowed no such thing. He brought them closer together and prayed that they would live through this ordeal together.

Slowly, Lal became more aware of things. Her immediate reaction was to strike Colonnello hard in his face. Her face darkened with a shade of red. He had offended her by removing all her clothes and leaving her without the slightest dignity. She felt foolish for doing such a thing even she knew Colonnello saved her life.

He had expected this kind of thing to happen but still he lost his cool and bellowed "What's wrong with you? I just saved your life!" The two of them glared at each other for some time and Colonnello was first to drop his gaze.

They faced away from each other, not daring to look and speak. A tinge of guilt hit Colonnello as he heard muffled sobbing coming from the other end of the cave. An uneasy feeling gnawed at his heart and he could not help but go over and apologize.

"But I won't let you die." He told her bluntly. "I love you too much to see you go."

Lal's heart softened and she turned to look at him, not with empty eyes but eyes with some signs of life. "Why do you still love me?" she asked. "I'm a ruined woman. There is nothing else I have to offer you. I'm not good looking or even lady like to begin with"

Colonnello sensed the change in where things were heading and mellowed down. "All these are unimportant. What matters most is that you lave me back. All these can change with time."

Then he made a bold move and kissed Lal on her cheek. Lal was taken aback but she did not resist what comes next when Colonnello made love to her in the cave which they barely managed to escape the doors of death.


	12. I'll live

**I'll Live**

The long awaited day finally arrived. Verde, Reborn, Skull, Viper, Lal, Fong and Luce, the seven strongest in the underworld, set forth on the treacherous mountain path, a journey to the unknown.

Chosen to become arcobalenos, guardians of the underworld, the fated seven made their way up the mountain to the peak where the ritual would be conducted. The meet was top secret and only a few were chosen to bear this secret. Lal had not told Colonnello about the meet. She feared that his appearance might deter her from accepting the arcobaleno's curse.

It was only natural as a few months back, her life had been thrown into total chaos. So much can happen within such a short frame of time. Her destined meeting with Colonnello and the rape had really been hell of a time. Whenever she reflected upon what she had been through, it only made her cry. Only recently, for the sake of the arcobaleno meet, did she pull herself together and the old wounds started to patch themselves back.

Reborn then halted halfway and said aloud "How long do you intend to follow us?" did Lal look up. She had been lost in thoughts and had not realized that they were being followed. She never once let her guard down in the past but after that incident, she was still emotionally unstable and hence it was hard to tell.

Stepping out of the shadows, a blonde soldier stood grinning and Lal gasped "Colonnello!" The sandy haired soldier merely smiled and greeted her "Hey."

Lal felt blood surge through her body at the sight of him. Her face felt warm and her heartbeat quickened. Lal steadied her voice and enquired "What are you doing here?"

Earnestly, Colonnello told her "I'm here to take your place." Then he added "I'm not going to let you die." "Idiot," Lal reprimanded, "who's going to die?" The pink flush across her face deeply contradicted her harsh voice.

Colonnello merely smiled which sent Lal's heart racing all the more. Then the party of eight made their way up. It was a silent journey. Luce, Viper and Reborn were aware of the two lovers and their silence was a romantic one. Lal kept on avoiding Colonnello's glances and watched him when he wasn't looking. Verde could not be bothered. Fong just ignored and Skull was too busy looking out for Reborn's sudden attacks on him.

At the meet, all eight of them received their curse and many could not accept their fate and were in a state of disbelief as well as shock. The only one who could really accept her fate was Luce who at that time was pregnant.

At the bottom of the mountain where Colonnello and Lal had to part, Colonnello told Lal to take care of herself. "You should be more ladylike." He told her and Lal's rosy cheeks turned crimson. Colonnello still seemed the same and has not changed even after the transformation as though he knew what was coming. Lal on the hand was at a lost for words.

Colonnello had successfully become the rain arcobaleno and Lal was a failure as an arcobaleno. She could grow and the curse would slowly fade away in time if she did not use her power. Arcobalenos are immortals and Lal was half an arcobaleno. She was a human with longer lifespan but she could still die unlike her lover Colonnello.

Colonnello offered Lal the opportunity to come with him and Lal declined the offer. When he was leaving, Lal asked "What are you going to do?"

Colonnello looked back and with fire in his voice and eyes, told her "I'll live."

Lal watched the small figure of Colonnello leave in the molten sunset. Somehow she knew that this wasn't going to be the end. A ray of hope for the first time in her life shone through her dark days, enlightening her. It was the hope of being able to see Colonnello, the one she loved, again.

Smiling silently to herself, she whispered in a voice inaudible to the ears of Colonnello who had already disappeared in the distance "I'll live as well, Colonnello." Then, she left wordlessly with a hood on her head, taking one little step at a time.

~The End~

Thank You for reading.


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